Imaginative Joshua Davidson thinks he might be a clone from the blood on the Shroud of Turin because a scientist who had worked on that experiment twelve years ago is pursuing him. But who is Joshua really? If he learns his true identity, will his life be changed forever?

Monday, September 28, 2009

Kathy Stemke, Freelance Writer, Author, and Educator has a fantastic newsletter jammed packed with tips and activities your students and children will surely be thrilled to join in on.To become an opt-in subscriber today and to learn more about Kathy visit: http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/

At http://educationtipster.blogspot.com/ you will also find important information on movement activities, book reviews, and parenting tips which will help parents and teachers teach children phonics, math, writing and science!

All this at your fingertips and in your email in-box...you surely can't go wrong.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Look what has just blown into town! From the ingenious mind of Beverly Stowe McClure, Breeze Brannigan a.k.a Just Breeze has leapt from the pages of her novel into cyber-space and has created her very own blog.

Penny and Rio find themselves paw deep in their latest mystery when Hobbes, a huge Great Dane and new next door neighbor seeks them out for their expert detective skills. Not one to be easily intimidated, Penny stands her ground and listens intently of the new case thrust upon them. The dilemma and determination of Hobbes’ friend Squeaky to get into the old locked doghouse draws in the four legged detectives immediately. And with the evasiveness of Squeaky, Penny’s curiosity is piqued further and she pleads for her sister, Rio, to quit her napping and help in finding the missing key and gaining entry.
“Come on, Rio, I’ll let you have my bone tonight,” Penny smiled. Rio stopped. Her eyes narrowed. Say it’s for the next two nights, and you’ve got a deal.”

Up against an impossible deadline of less than a day, the cleverness of each is put to the test while on the case of finding the lost key. Will they make it in time? Ms. Swanson brings to life the adventures of Penny and Rio with such humanistic characteristics the reader forgets they are on a journey with animals. Children will certainly enjoy reading about the detective skills of such ingenious dogs.

Jennifer Swanson was born with the love of reading and at the age of 5, was already writing and illustrating her own stories. She is a 1990 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, a former chemistry teacher, a current graduate student and substitute teacher. Learn more about the author and Penny and Rio at: http://www.pennyandrio.com/.

I'm excited to also share with you the back cover which quotes books reviews. And this is a first for me, I'm quoted!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Join in the open discussion: "Your summer time achievements and Fall goals."

To get the ball rolling I'll start:

For one I had grand summer plans for writing each and every day. However, it did not pan out the way I planned. I know, I know as writers we should not get distracted from our writing. But since my girls are now 14 and 11 and entering the 9th and 6th grades I threw my initial plans out the window and decided to spend as much time possible with them this summer. Considering the fact before you know it the oldest would much rather prefer spending time with friends. There were certainly days like that, but I cherished the many days she preferred to hang with me and her sister. And of course numerous times I had a house load or yard load of their friends here too. All good times, ones I will certainly cherish forever. It reminded me very much of my days of growing up with my mom being "The Cool Aid Mom" in the neighborhood.

I adjusted my plans and opted to FINALLY finish my first draft of my historical fiction manuscript, which I've been working on off and on for a couple of years now and get it typed into my computer. You see, I write my first drafts in long hand with my wonderful Graf Von Faber-Castell pen my family gave to me for my 40th birthday a couple of years ago. For me my initial first draft flows better with good old paper and pen and no distractions from my computer. Now with my edits well underway and several note pages of ideas for new manuscripts I look forward to a productive remainder of 2009 and into 2010. I also started planning out my blog postings and scheduling them for future dates in an effort to keep my blog presence current and strong. And last but not least I will be implementing my marketing plan for my first story book, The Golden Pathway...publication date to be announced.

What about you? How did your summer go? Did you have to adjust your initial plans? And how will you tackle the Fall of 2009?

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Don't miss out on the monthly excitement of my FREE Write What Inspires You Newsletter.

Each month featured interviews include prominent and upcoming children's authors, illustrators, and editors in the Children's Publishing industry. The inside look from each interview will provide you with terrific advice and inspiration as you continue down the path of publication (even if you have been published).

To top off the newsletter there are several additional columns:

Book Review(s)Proclaim Your SuccessesReflections or Dreams

Testimonials

Supporter Advertisements

A glimpse of the September 2009 Newsletter:

For many across the country school is already in session. Our school district does not start until September 8th. Have you seen the Staples commercial for back to school supplies that features the “most wonderful time of the year,” song from the popular Christmas song? It’s been out for quite a few years now and much to the chagrin of our children my girlfriends and I always get a great chuckle from it. While we love our children and we always welcome the onset of summer vacation to spend more time with them and not having to deal with the backpacks, lunches, projects, etc., we tend to enjoy the beginning of school just as much. We get a break from being “Julie McCoy” cruise director and hopefully back into a more set routine of our careers.

I hope you all had a wonderful summer and are taking the chance to re-evaluate your goals before the onslaught of PTA meetings, car pooling for one event or another, projects, etc., take over once again. I for one will be picking back up with my “Change Coach” in hopes of remaining accountable for my time and working towards the goals I have set for myself.

Best wishes for a terrific start to the new school year and to your goals! Check out my blog on September 14th and join the discussion on how your summer went and if and how you re-evaluated your goals for the fall.

It is my pleasure to present to you interviews with authors Joseph Sottile and Lorraine Florido and editor, Angie Kaelberer of Capstone Press. Don’t miss the goodies in the columns: Book Reviews, Reflections and Dreams by Joseph Sottile, Proclaim Your Successes, SFC Best of Anthology, Writer’s Digest Best Of, First Book, Media Release, and Sponsor Ads.

If you are interested, please feel free to submit your name for an interview, an essay and/or your successes to: dmcdine@optonline.net

Friday, September 4, 2009

I've done my first ever cartwheel in celebration of the book cover for my FIRST story book entitled, The Golden Pathway! Only kidding about the cartwheel, I thought about it, but thought better of it. I would certainly injure myself...LOL.

Illustrator, K.C. Snider did a SUPERB job in capturing the essence of The Golden Pathway. I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for the story illustrations. Patience (and well worth) is imperative and I'm looking forward to announcing the publication date.Additional details as they become available will be announced on my new blog - The Golden Pathway, with a topic posting listed here.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

I've written about my delight of discovering more Followers on my blog in the past and wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who finds my blog worthy of following.

I get a thrill and feel a bit more validated on my journey of being a children's author each time the number of Followers clicks up.

In an effort to provide what my readers want please feel free to contact me with a topic you would like covered, a book to be reviewed, an interview to be featured, etc., and I'll be happy to accomodate the best I can.

Be sure to stop back on September 14th, when the topic: Your summer time achievements and Fall goals will be discussed. I look forward to a lively discussion.

Also, a schedule of September topics will be posted shortly. I'm a bit behind like most parents with the onslaught of a new school year. Best wishes for a successful start to a new school year all. And for all those not parents, best wishes to you for a fresh outlook and successes in your careers.